Bring On The “Stoup!”
Yes, it was a learning moment for me – what’s a “stoup?” Well, I will let the famous Chef Ottolenghi explain!
A hearty lentil “stoup” (or stew) to make on repeat this winter. Sweet fennel, nutty parmesan and optional rinds add deep flavour. Perfect for batch cooking and serving with rustic bread.
So a hearty soup that borders on a stew – and I am making it – with a new ingredient that has become my favorite of all time – this!
Yes, I discovered this from a recipe and now love to use it for as much as I can – it really adds and incredible richness to soups and stews!
Here are the ingredients:
- 1 cup dried green lentils (rinsed)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil (from the jar – NOTE: I didn’t use this)
- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 hefty tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried basil & 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds – NOTE: I used diced Fennel bulb as well
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika & 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped – I used micro greens
- Salt to taste
- Parmesan rind while simmering
- lime juice
In a pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, fennel, smoked paprika, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, dried basil, and oregano. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the green lentils, water, chicken stock and Parmesan rind Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.
Here’s how easy it was to prepare:
Next up, tackling Chef Ottolenghi’s charred tomato salsa!
Here’s what Chef’s looked like – let see how I do!
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and toast your fennel seeds. Set them aside for later.
Char the cherry tomatoes in the hot pan…I could have done more, but didn’t want to burn them. Here’ the very simple easy way I did it:
Then, I took some raw garlic, sautéed it just a bit, and added a small amount of the lentil stoup:, which was doing nicely on the stove
I transferred a tablespoon of it to a food processor, added the garlic, toasted fennel seeds and tomatoes and pulsed until almost smooth but with some texture remaining. Allow to cool down slightly before adding the cilantro, lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pulse a few more times.
Then it was time to plate it!
Behold The Lentil “Stoup!”
“Stoup’s On!” Yes, this was an easy dish to plate.
After you add the soup to the bowl, I topped it with fresh avocado, lots of shredded parmesan and the charred tomato salsa, and it was delicious!
You literally have to dig the lentil soup out from underneath, but you can also mix it all in as well…either way, it delivers some great flavor, richness and depth…
I like the three distinct colors of the toppings, and each one gave the lentil soup a different flavor profile…it was hearty and delicious, and I served it with some crusty bread….a perfect meal with a glass of red wine!
I have tried to make salsa at home before, like this one:
This green chili verde was flavorful, but did I make the same mistake I made with the red baby tomatoes?
Well, click here to find out!
I’m on a “unique soup” kick, like when I made my first “pozole!”
I made this Mexican soup as part of Jo’s BKD Cookbook club – check it out here!
I also made a Queso Cheese soup thanks to the iconic Singer Linda Ronstadt – here is that family recipe!
Thanks for reading my food website “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” – it’s your site for all things food – if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
Let me know if you make homemade salsa, a new favorite for me – if you like this story, please share on social media!
Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Food, Food Travel, Food Writing, Recipes, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Looks wonderful!